Railroad puzzle game



March 31, 1964 J. WHITE 3,127,175

RAILROAD PUZZLE GAME Filed July 27, 1962 Leo J White INVENTOR.

BY M

United States Patent 3,127,175 RAILROAD PUZZLE GAME Leo J. White, 400 7th St., Monett, Mo. Filed July 27, 1962, Ser. No. 212,304 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-132) The present invention generally relates to puzzle games, and more particularly to a puzzle game wherein a plurality of miniature boxcars are selectively moved by a minia ture Diesel engine so as to properly position the boxcars at their destination.

One of the primary objects of the present invention resides in the provision of a game which can be played and enjoyed by both children and adults.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a puzzle wherein the members to be moved are in the form of a railroad engine and boxcars.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game which presents a sufficient challenge so as to hold the players interest while not being so difiicult as to discourage the player.

Likewise, an object of the present invention is to provide a game which is both simple in construction and easy to manufacture while at the same time being highly durable and capable of withstanding the rough handling to which childrens toys are normally subjected.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more full hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the railroad puzzle game comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which the engine is formed for reception through a tunnel; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which the boxcars are formed so as to prevent their movement through the tunnel.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral generally designates the game comprising the present invention. This game 10, constructed of any suitable material such as wood, plastic or metal, consists basically of a fiat elongated playing board or supporting surface 12, an oblong or elliptical endless track 14, two extension tracks 16 and 18, a movable simuulated Diesel engine 20, and two movable simulated railroad boxcars 22 and 24.

The track 14 includes two opposed inwardly extending portions 26 and 28 constituting the starting and finishing points of the game as shall be gone into presently. Additionally, an enlarged track spanning obstruction 30 is provided over the track 14 with a tunnel 32 being provided therethrough, the tunnel 32 having a reduced upper portion 34.

The two extension tracks 16 and 18, as is apparent from FIGURE 1, form outwardly extending parallel continuations of the two elongated parallel runs 36 and 38 of the track 14 with the extensions 16 and 18 being positioned on the opposite side of the starting stations 26 and 28 from the tunnel 32. The outer ends of these extensions 16 and 18 can, if so desired, be provided with stops 40 so as to prevent the removal of the movable members 20, 22 and 24 thus preventing their loss.

As will be noted from FIGURES 2 and 3, both the main endless track 14 and the two extension tracks 16 and 18 are formed by opposed sections 42 and 44 suitably secured to the supporting surface 12 in any conventional manner such as by gluing. In order to permit sliding movement of the members 20, 22 and 24 while at the same time preventing their removal from the tracks,

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the inner or facing edges of the sections 42 and 44 are provided with undercut grooves 46 within which transversely extending flanges 48 on the boxcar members 22 and 24 and 50 on the engine member 20 are to be received.

Also, as will be obvious from FIGURES 2 and 3, the upper portion 52 of the engine 20 is reduced so as to enable the passing of the engine through the tunnel 32 while the boxcar members 22 and 24 are not so reduced thus preventing their movement through the tunnel 32.

Appropriate legends are to be applied on the various portions of the game with the two starting and finishing stations 26 and 28 having the legends Dock 1 and Dock 2 thereon, the extension 16 being specifically provided as a housing for the Diesel engine and having the legend Diesel House applied thereto, the other extension 18 being provided to accommodate the various movable members during the playing of the game much in the manner of a conventional switching spur track, and as such having the legend Spur applied thereto, and the boxcars 22 and 24 being marked with different letters such as A and B so as to enable a distinguishing therebetween.

The successful solution of the game requires the initial positioning of the boxcars 22 and 24 at opposite docks with the engine 20 located in the Diesel House and the subsequent reversing of the positions of the boxcars 22 and 24 by either pushing or pulling these cars with the engine 20, the engine 20 being returned to its house 16. This pushing or pulling of the boxcars 22 and 24 by the engine 20 can be accomplished by a physical holding of the two or three members together, or conversely, a simple mechanical or magnetic interlock can be provided.

As will be appreciated, because of the inability of the boxcars 22 and 24 to pass through the tunnel 32, a substantial amount of manipulation will be required at the extension end of the endless track 14 so as to result in any successful switching of the boxcars 22 and 24 while at the same time enabling the return of the engine 20 to the housing. Assuming the boxcar 22 is initially positioned at station 26 and boxcar 24 is initially positioned at station 28, a successful solution to the puzzle or completion of the game can be arrived at by the following steps; first bring the engine out of the house and couple onto boxcar 22, pull boxcar 22 counter-clockwise into alignment with the Spur, push boxcar 22 into the Spur, uncouple the engine, take the engine clockwise around the track 14 and through the tunnel 32, push boxcar 24 into the Spur, couple both boxcars to the engine, pull both boxcars 22 and 24 out of the Spur, push both boxcars clockwise, uncouple boxcar 22 at station 26, pull boxcar 24 counter-clockwise past the Spur entrance, push boxcar 24 into the Spur, uncouple the engine, take the engine counter-clockwise around the track 14 through the tunnel, push boxcar 22 past the Spur entrance, pull boxcar 22 into the Spur, couple boxcar 24 to the engine, move both boxcars out of the Spur, uncouple boxcar 22 at station 28, push boxcar 24 clockwise to station 26, uncouple the englue, and return the engine to the Diesel House.

As will be appreciated from the solution supra, the boxcars 22 and 24 at no time enter the extension 16, and as such, if so desired, the undercut portions 46 of the extension 16 can, along with the transversely extending flanges 50 on the engine 20, be slightly modified so as to accommodate only the engine 241 and not the boxcars 22 and 24.

Further, in the event that the game is to be played by very young children, it is contemplated that a portion of the obstruction 30 be made removable so as to enlarge the tunnel 32 sutficiently so as to allow for the passage of the boxcars 22 and 24.

Also, while not specifically mentioned supra, it will be readily apparent that entrance to and exit from the eX- tensions ,16 and 18 can only be accomplished by movement in a straight line, counter-clockwise movement out of the extension 16 and clockwise movement out of the extension 18 being prevented by the acutely formed projections 54 and 56.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes Will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A railroad puzzle consisting of an endless area enclosing track, two extension tracks extending outwardly from the endless track, two boxcar members movable on the tracks, an engine member movable on the tracks, and fixed means on said endless track for limiting movement of said two boxcar members, said fixed means allowing for free passage of the engine member along said endless track.

2. The device of claim 1 including starting areas for said two boxcar members, said extension tracks both being located so as to communicate with the endless track on the same side of said starting areas.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the movable members can only enter the endless track from one of the extension tracks going in a clockwise direction and from the other track going in a counter-clockwise direction.

4. The device of claim 3wherein said movement limiting means consists of an obstruction having a tunnel therethrough, said tunnel having a reduced upper portion, said engine member being provided with a reduced upper portion capable of passage through the reduced upper portion of the tunnel.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said endless track is oblong in shape with the extension tracks forming parallel outwardly extending continuations of the two longer sides of the endless track.

6. The device of claim 5 whereinthe tracks are formed of two parallel spaced members having undercut sections in the facing edges, said engine and boxcar members being provided with transversely extending portions on the lower ends thereof, said transversely extending portions being slidably received in the undercut sections of the facing edges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 268,920 Meier Dec. 12, 1882 482,957 Allen Sept. 20, 1892 1,560,921 Von Bultzingslowen Nov. 10, 1925 

1. A RAILROAD PUZZLE CONSISTING OF AN ENDLESS AREA ENCLOSING TRACK, TWO EXTENSION TRACKS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE ENDLESS TRACK, TWO BOXCAR MEMBERS MOVABLE ON THE TRACKS, AN ENGINE MEMBER MOVABLE ON THE TRACKS, AND FIXED MEANS ON SAID ENDLESS TRACK FOR LIMITING MOVEMENT OF SAID TWO BOXCAR MEMBERS, SAID FIXED MEANS 